US: Boeing plane sales jump, but deliveries lag behind rival Airbus

Boeing ended 2021 far behind European rival Airbus in new aircraft deliveries, but sales have rebounded after two dismal years caused by the 737 Max crashes and the pandemic.

Boeing said on Tuesday that it had delivered 38 commercial planes in December and 340 for the whole of 2021, nearly double the total for 2020.

However, Airbus said on Monday (10) that it made 611 deliveries in 2021, surpassing Boeing for the third year in a row.

Boeing was hampered by production failures that prevented shipments of its 787 Dreamliner for most of 2021.

Deliveries are greater than bragging rights – they are a major source of cash for companies because airlines typically pay a large portion of the purchase price when they take possession of a new plane.

Boeing also said orders had jumped to the highest level since 2018, before the 737 Max grounding and the pandemic caused sales to plummet for two years.

The Chicago company reported landing orders for 80 planes in December and 909 for the full year. After subtracting cancellations, however, Boeing recorded 479 net orders, slightly behind Airbus’ total of 507.

Boeing reported another 535 orders in 2021, including 56 sales that it previously thought were unlikely to be completed but now views with more certainty. However, a spokesperson said some of these orders were made in previous years.

Because Boeing and Airbus delays are so long, airlines often have to wait several years to get all the planes they order.

There’s no doubt that the competition between the world’s two great aircraft manufacturers has heated up after being lopsided in Airbus’ favor for a while.

Boeing scored a point last week when it landed a large order from Allegiant Air, which currently has an all-Airbus fleet.

Last month, it was Airbus that broke into Boeing customers, winning appointments for new orders from Air France-KLM and Australia’s Qantas.

The rapid pace of orders at both companies indicates that airlines are confident of strong demand and believe the pandemic will subside – or travelers will decide to live with the risk of Covid-19 and return to flying anyway.

Neither Boeing nor Airbus has provided information on how current orders and deliveries will affect their results.